Where you are is the best place to start

Dwight Lyman Moody (1837-1899) was perhaps the best-known minister of the Gospel of the 19th century. With a ministry so far-reaching that its ripples are still seen today, D.L. Moody preached before some of the largest crowds of his day (upward of 15,000). Yet his beginnings were humble, to say the least.

His father died when he was very young. His mother, newly widowed and with a large, young family to support, was forced to send young Moody away for survival. Poverty and hardship were constant companions.

Around age eighteen, D.L. accepted Christ as Lord. He then eagerly made effort to be accepted as a member of a traditional local church. In regard to this, his Sunday School teacher, Edward Kimball, later stated:

“I can truly say, and in saying it I magnify the infinite grace of God as bestowed upon him, that I have seen few persons whose minds were spiritually darker than was his when he came into my Sunday School class; and I think that the committee of the Mount Vernon Church seldom met an applicant for membership more unlikely ever to become a Christian of clear and decided views of Gospel truth, still less to fill any extended sphere of public usefulness.”

But what Moody lacked in refinement and education, he made up for with his deep compassion for people and his relentless commitment to introduce them to Jesus Christ.

One contemporary of Moody bore witness to this fact: "The first meeting I ever saw him at was in a little old shanty that had been abandoned by a saloon-keeper. Mr. Moody had got the place to hold the meetings in at night. I went there a little late; and the first thing I saw was a man standing up with a few tallow candles around him, holding a negro boy, and trying to read to him the story of the Prodigal Son and a great many words he could not read out, and had to skip. I thought, 'If the Lord can ever use such an instrument as that for His honor and glory, it will astonish me. As a result of his tireless labor, within a year the average attendance at his school was 650, while 60 volunteers from various churches served as teachers. It became so well known that the just-elected President Lincoln visited and spoke at a Sunday School meeting on November 25, 1860."

Fire away! Energy in motion

That looks painful.  I'd hate to be a "guinea pig" on that deal.

In science, there are numerous terms used to describe different types of energy, and to distinguish them from one another. One form of energy is called potential energy i.e., stored energy that produces nothing until it is released. But there is another kind of energy called kinetic energy. Kinetic energy, simply put, is energy in motion.

For example, if you had a cannon loaded with gunpowder and a cannonball, that would be a type of potential energy. But once you light the fuse, the potential energy contained in the gunpowder is suddenly released and the cannonball is projected violently from the mouth of the cannon. The potential has now been converted into motion. And energy in motion can really do some powerful things.

The early followers of Jesus were known as people of action. Even the book that recounts their exploits is known, not as the Potential of the Apostles, but as the Acts of the Apostles. We would not even know who they were today if they had contented themselves with simply reminiscing about the “good old days” with Jesus. But instead of identifying only with the past, they embraced a fresh opportunity to continue the same ministry that Jesus had begun. They had discovered a limitless store of energy in Jesus Christ and His message, and through their obedience to His command, they converted memories of the past into models for the future.

S.O.P. - Standard Operating Procedure

And no... sleeping on the job is NOT it.

In business circles, there is a term used called S.O.P. – standard operating procedure. It simply means that, unless there are special indications, our standard operating procedure is the way we will operate the business. For believers, the “green light” to go and make disciples as best we know how is our S.O.P.

The spiritual “green light” stays lit unless the Holy Spirit specifically gives you a “red light”. But “red lights” are always the exception, not the rule.

What to do when God says STOP

In the Book of Acts, we see that there were certain times when God would send specific, supernatural instructions to His servants for ministry, such as when He led Peter through a vision to minister to Cornelius’ household (Acts 10), or when He sent an angel to tell Philip to head to the wilderness road where the Ethiopian eunuch was (Acts 8). These were powerful events that led to significant conversions, but there is no indication that their ministry undertakings were limited only to those produced by these types of specific instructions. In fact, I would argue that Peter and Philip were in line to receive those specific leadings from the Holy Spirit because they were in fact already fully engaged in leading people to Christ and making disciples in fulfillment of Christ’s greatest standing order – the Great Commission.

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were busy preaching the Gospel and strengthening the churches from city to city (vv. 4,5). While they dedicated themselves to that task, they were “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.” (v. 6) In other words, they got a “red light”. So what did they do? Did they just quit preaching or wait for some great revelation from God? No. They simply tried a different city: Bithynia. But again, “the Spirit did not permit them.” (v. 7) They got another rare “red light” from God. Some would have called a prayer meeting and waited for God to tell them exactly where He wanted them to go, but not Paul and Silas; they sought God’s guidance while they kept moving.

It was at about that time, as they continued to look for opportunity to preach the Gospel – this time in Troas – that Paul saw a vision in the night of a man from Macedonia pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” They followed the call in obedience, and the evangelization of Europe took flight.

The Greenlight Mentality

I often think that it must be much easier for God to direct the person who is moving forward with a sincere heart, even if among missteps and mistakes, than the person who never moves at all for fear of equivocation. When it comes to Christian ministry undertakings, many believers err on the side of caution, always waiting for some extraordinary, supernatural confirmation of their next move. This can be crippling.

The truth is, when He ascended back to Heaven, Jesus left the traffic signal on green. Green means go, advance, and full-speed ahead. It means that He has authorized you to go into all the world, preach the Gospel, and make disciples. This is always God’s will for you.

The specifics and details of ministry tend to become clearer as we move forward. In my experience, whenever I proceed forward seeking to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission, seeking what is good for God, what is good for people, and what is good for me, God never seems to have trouble working out the details. He guides every step.

God unlimited - in you

With His life and power in us, our possibilities are unlimited.

Life Declaration: say this outloud as a declaration of faith-

Lord Jesus, You have redeemed me. Your life is now my life. Because Your blood has cleansed me from all sin, I am now re-connected with God. You fill my soul with Your ideas – ideas to share Your life and love with others.

My connection with You gives me boldness to act as Your representative, partner, and co-laborer. Your ideas inspire me to greatness and bring out Your best in me!

Your will is for me to walk with You, to live with You, and to connect people to You! That is Your idea! Amen.

What is the Gospel?

The Gospel in a nutshell -
1. God's Creation - you are the product of God's love and look like Him; He created you to be with Him.

2. Satan's Deception - there is a real enemy; mankind was deceived and fell into sin, being separated from God.

3. Christ's Substitution - God's Son came to us and on the cross paid the price we had to pay

4. Our Restoration - accepting Christ's sacrifice in our place, we are raised out of spiritual death and restored to life, cleansed from sin, and able to live with God again.